{Bringing Up Boogie} There Is No Comfort In Silence

Editor's note: If you follow poet and Bringing Up Boogie columnist Bassey Ikpi here on MyBrownBaby, you know that she is a tireless advocate for mental health. You should know, too, that she's equally passionate about HIV/AIDS advocacy—specifically building bridges of acceptance and love between people without HIV toward those who do. Her mission is to remove the stigmas that come with the disease, with the hope that doing so will encourage people who are at risk or infected to get smart, get tested, get help and get support. Considering how HIV/AIDS is devastating black women—check out this story, which chases down stats showing black women have the highest rates of new HIV/AIDS infections but get very little attention in the fight—it is high time that we got smart not only about protecting ourselves, but embracing our sisters and helping them find their way. Shout out to Bassey for this piece, which she performed in this YouTube video with Talib Kweli, as part of Global Grind's "Positive Charge" campaign, which debuted on  World AIDS Day. Below the video are the words—each and every one of them raw, beautiful, relevant. Necessary.

There Is No Comfort in Silence

By BASSEY IKPI

don’t ever forget your body

don’t ever forget this heart

that saves

this thing that pushes blood

and oxygen

this pulsating beating living thing

don’t ever forget your heart

your lungs

your breath

this mass of tissue and muscle that

holds your compassion hostage

HIV will not hold you hostage

eliminate the sigh

eliminate the look that weighs tons

free the loveliness

the comfort

embrace the spirit that longs for touch

you must do this in solidarity

for those afraid

those who turn their body over to sickness

you must tell them that they are loved

that they can remain whole

despite this thing that threatens the blood

but you will never threaten love

will never withhold

will only embrace

offer comfort like a sweetness dancing on your tongue

Make the earth a promise

and exhale this vow into the wind

“I will love you always.”

let the breeze carry it across the earth

let it touch the women, the men,

the babies, the families

let it touch the continents in need of healing

and understanding

let it touch the hearts that need it.

there is no comfort in silence

hold the hand that aches for peace

hold the body that aches for peace

offer them a morning without  judgement

offer them a night without shame

offer them a peace that holds centuries

carved into their throats

allow them the freedom of a hollow scream

allow them the pleasure of acceptance

allow them a glittered night

 golden, halo of sun

bodies warmed by understanding

cups overflowing with encouragement

this battle deserves an army

this war, a fair fight

this love serves as ammunition

a warning shot into the distance

say, “we love you always.”

then say it again.

then say it again

and again

and again

and again

say it once more

until the silent find their voices

hidden in the corners without light

hand them candle

hand them torch

hand them bonfire

burn courage into your chest

watch it scar over

tough and impenetrable

then listen

the heart beats a welcomed

love song

the spirit spills peace into your veins

courage

there will be no room for secrets

there will just be this desire to live

to do what it takes to make your days longer

to dull the ache that comes from silence

to offer fistfuls of truth and acceptance

send a message into a wind

spin it into a thousand hurricanes

create a whirlwind of strength

let it fall

a thousand raindrops upon their heads

until they are soaked with the truth of this

“we will love you always.”




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About our MBB Contributor:Bassey Ikpi is a Nigeria-born, Oklahoma-bred, PG County-fed, Brooklyn-led writer/poet/neurotic. She’s half awesome, a quarter crazy and 1/3rd genius... the left over bit is a caramel creme center. She’s also the single mother of an amazing man-child, Elaiwe Ikpi. Get more Bassey at basseyworld.com

If you would like to be a featured contributor on MyBrownBaby, email your essays/ideas/blog posts/rants/musings to Denene at denenemillner at gmail dot com.